64 people sent to hospital after Vancouver&#039;s 4/20 event

DH Vancouver StaffApr 21, 2015 10:31 am

Just over five dozen people were admitted to St. Paul’s Hospital Monday after their 4/20 celebrations took a turn for the worse.

Providence Health Care confirmed to Vancity Buzz that 64 revelers were treated in hospital with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness and various states of consciousness most likely from consuming edible pot products.

Several patients needed IVs or anti-nausea medication and were released from hospital soon after arriving.

According to Forbes, consuming edibles includes a longer wait period before the drug reaches its peak levels in the brain, causing many to inadvertently overdose. Smoking marijuana typically takes three to 10 minutes to reach peak levels in the brain while eating marijuana takes one to three hours. Whether someone has eaten recently or has other drugs in their system also affects how the body reacts to digesting THC.

In one example of edibles-gone-wrong, New York Timescolumnist Maureen Dowd experimented with a THC-laced chocolate bar and ended up lying on her bed in a hallucinatory state for eight hours.

There was plenty of pot and pot-infused foods to go around on Monday when tens of thousands joined the 4/20 celebrations around the Vancouver Art Gallery. Georgia Street between Burrard and Howe was closed for much of the afternoon, along with Howe and Hornby Street between Georgia and Robson. Robson was also closed between Granville and Burrard.

200 vendors were in the area selling everything from joints, bongs and pipes to THC-laced lollipops, brownies and other baked goods.